


When Rosepadels kiss the Sea

by DangerousCheesecakeSalad



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Ableism, Ableist Language, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Human, Blindness, Body Dysphoria, Coffee Shops, Disabled Character, Friends to Lovers, Gardens & Gardening, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romantic Fluff, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:20:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29252127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DangerousCheesecakeSalad/pseuds/DangerousCheesecakeSalad
Summary: Fjord begins his second Year of  Law Studies at the Soltryce University in Rexxentrum . At the first Day of the summer semester he meets Caduceus Clay ,the new paramedic for the Hospital Wing. And for some unknown reason they keep meeting.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Fjord
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	1. White Roses

The sun was not yet high in the sky and yet it was already burning his neck. Fjord swung himself off his sea-green bicycle and fastened it to the crowded bicycle stand. It was already twenty minutes past ten, if he didn't want to be late for his first lecture he had to hurry, luckily it wasn't too far from Tealeaf's tea shop in the city centre to the campus by bike.He grabbed his backpack from the rack and jogged towards the entrance hall, which led to the first three lecture halls as he crossed it.

Coming closer he could clearly see the morning sun reflected in the huge fretted glass windows of the university, Soltryce University had existed for several centuries and had been a university from the fifteenth century onwards, before that it had been a family estate for rich dukes.The busts and portraits of the most successful graduates could be admired in the gallery on the second floor.

He wished he would know more about the university, maybe he should look in the library on occasion or he could just ask Caleb, the exchange student from Germany studied literature and lived almost in the library, if he was not there he ,Fjord and Beau spent their time in the backroom of the tea shop. Helping eath other with University Tasks.Beau an athletic ,loud sports student , was really bad at essasy and Fjord woud have almost failed his first test in the first semester if Caleb would not be their. 

Tealeaf's tea shop belonged to their boss, Mollymauk.Molly’s parents have retired and entrusted the business to their second eldest son.Which might not have been their best idea, for Molly was very busy and never stayed long in town.The shop would have had to close long ago if the second son of the family, Lucien, didn't check up on things now and then.

With his thoughts on his friends, Fjord hurried forward and ran into someone.He staggered back a few steps and then he heard the stranger's voice , deep and clear , like a mighty gust of wind whipping up the surface of the sea. " I’m sorry, I must have been in the way, are you okay ? " 

Fjord raised his head.The stranger before him was an estimated seven feet tall not necessarily healthily thin and had pale skin.He had a pink mohawk paired with a light fuzz of a beard. His eyes were hidden behind darkened glasses, he wore a green T-shirt with pink flowers printed on , dark green trousers and brown shoes.

He had to gather for a brief moment before he could answer: " Oh no , no , that was my fault , I am sorry." He was about to go further when the stranger's voice held him back : " Sorry to bother you, a you're in a hurry, but can you tell me where Director Ikithon's office is? I've been waiting here for an hour, and I thought it might be easier to meet him at his office." Trent Ikithon, he shuddered thinking of the Director.He remembered well the conversation he and the director had had before the start of his first semester.How small and worthless he had felt, Ikithon thought nothing of the scholarship he had worked so hard to earn at Higshool.If it were up to their Director , only elite students would enter his university.When he told Beau, he could barely stop her from rushing into the office and beating Ikithon, which would have cost her her her place at the university.

He wasn’t eager to see the director but he didn’t want to be an asshole: "Oh Right , follow me ." The stranger now behind him started to move as well and FJord could hear a soft clacking behind him on the floor, when he looked back he saw that the stranger now held a stick in his hand.Fjord didn’t take care of it and stopped on the elevators,witch would take them directly to the fifth floor. Going up to the fifth floor they both heard the soft elevator music in the background, the silence settled around them and finally he remembered that he had forgotten to introduce himself, how rude of him !

So he cleared his throat: " By the way, I’m Fjord and you are, if I may ask ? " A gentle smile spread across his counterpart's face : " Caduceus Clay. " For Fjord it was impossible not to smile back. An unexpected calm spread to him. " And may I also ask what are you going to study ? "Caduceu's answer was a laugh as deep as his voice but it was more like heavy golden brown honey in a good cup of tea. " I am not a student . I am the new paramedic for the Hospital Wing." "Oh , sorry . " "Not youre fault. " 

They reached the fifth floor and were now standing in front of the entrance door to Ikithon’s office. Fjord opened the angelente door, behind a desk on which next to large paper stacks, a PC and a phone squeeze, sat one of Ikithon’s constantly changing secretaries. At his entrance, she looked up from her papers : " Do you have an appointment ? Mr. Ikithon is in a meeting and very busy." Caduces entered behind him : " I'm sorry to keep you from work , my name is Caduceus Clay , I had a meeting with Mr Ikithon and I had an appointment about my new employment here , I'm supposed to start here tomorrow at the Hospital Wing. " 

" Mr Clay. . . . " The secretary seemed to flip through her files for a moment ,then seemed to have found the right thing and then seemed to skim over something briefly.When she looked up again , her expression darkened for a moment , and Fjord thought he could see disparagement on her face but sooner thant he could be sure , the expression was replaced by a massive smile. " Of course, of course, now I remember. Please have a seat for a moment, I'm sure Mr. Ikithon will be right with you. " " Thank you very much. " 

Caduces proceeded to one of the seats and sat down. Fjord said goodbye and sprinted so as not to miss the rest of his lecture . He would have to ask someone for the notes but now tried to focus on the voice of his professor.


	2. forget Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beau is pissed about everything and has a date . Molly comes back and Fjord meets someone from his past. And meets Caduses again.

The heat of the day came over him like a wave as he followed Beau towards the Campus Park Square.In several spurts more and more students came out of the venerable building . Some chatted in small groups, others started their way home with headphones.There was a good atmosphere, the semester break was only over yesterday and accordingly most professors had not yet distributed many tasks.

Mrs Trickfoot saw it differently, she had given them three essays, a written paper and an accompanying reading in her seminar today. Actually, he liked the small petite white blonde woman in her early forties.But just at the beginning of the semester , he would have liked fewer assignments , and he had to catch up on what he missed this morning . It would be a long night.He already saw him helf spending the night at his desk again until the early hours of the morning, after that he would take the morning shift in the tea shop.

So he half listened to Beau talking about her new professor, they stowed his bike and their backpacks in the back and Beau unlocked the car.When he opened the passenger door, the warm air that had collected in the car hit him.  
The car had to be at least ten years old even if he had no idea what brand it was.The dark blue color was peeled off here and there and the first rust spots were visible.But the engine ran out of perfectly. And if you didn’t want to be boxed by Beau , you’d rather ignore the chaos in the car inside .This car was the last gift from Beau’s parents after she finished high school, after she came out as a lesbian ot them ,she moved to Rexxentrum.Maybe that was the reason why the young woman didn't take care of her car very much.

Fjord cleared papers , a half filled glass bottle and a pizza box from his seat before buckling up . Beau had already buckled her seatbelt and put the key in before she busied herself with her smartphone.Discouraged, she stares at the screen before she let the device disappear in her training pants. "You okay?" " The bastdart's coming back ,after a damm eternity ! " "Molly is back in town ? ,Where was he this time? " " I dont fucking know ! He never tells me , we can only be glad that he shows up again !" 

Beau kept cursing about her boss and mutual friend as the engine started and they slowly but surely merged into the after work traffic that was taking them downtown.The air conditioner provided them with cold air and Beau parked the car right in front of the shop.The shop also had a small backyard, but that was filled with the garbage cans and the shop rubbish.From time to time a red-brown street cat could be seen there, which always liked to be supplied with a bowl of milk by them before it disappeared again.

Unlike many buildings in the area, the tea shop was located in a modern building .The large windows to the right and left of the glass door gave the view into the interior.In the rear part was the counter with the cash register, to the left of it there was a small glass showcase in which one could see all the cakes and tea biscuits that was served to the tea, behind it the kitchen, through the kitchen one got to the back roome. In the demanding part of the shop there were armchairs with small low wooden tables. Four of them each were arranged around the small tables, but there were also two or one seats.Where there was no seating, there were plants of all shapes and sizes, a few dangling from the ceiling. In one of the corners was a small wooden bookcase filled with old magazines and books.Everything was illuminated by light bulbs in different bronze lampshades. Colorful carpets on the floor rounded off the picture. Above the front door, a lilander-enriched lettering announced the Tee Shop.

When they both got out of the car they could already see the lights burning in the shop. Beau just snorted when she saw Molly draped in one of the chairs. " One day I'll tell you, I'll kill him." " You won't."

When they entered the shop , their boss greeted them with a smile: " Hello Darlings , how are you ? Are the business going ?" " It would work better if you didn’t keep disapiring",Beau complaint." One should leave the table when it is best." " Oh, shut up, you must have met someone again, right?" Molly said nothing to that and just wincked hat her befor he continued : " Anyway, I brought you new Decko " , he pointed to one of the tables on which a cardboard box was standing ,Before he left the shop again he made a blatant suggestion: "You do the evening shift today and tomorrow I'll do the morning shift, I only need one of you for the evening." 

Beau took a quick breath: " I can´t , tomorrow night." Fjord looked at her and asked: " Do you have a date ? " She nodded, “Yasha asked me after the Warm up today,it went pretty well the first time, I don’t want to let her down."   
He sighed: “I’m overreliant for you, but you owe me. ” She gave him a short smile,than they continued working. 

After a few hours it had already become dark, but it was still well attended.Beau took a short drink break in the back room while Fjord served another customer.When that was done the shop bell rang again and when he looked at the door he had the feeling that time would stand still for a moment.In the doorway stood the girl at whose sight his heart still bled .The girl he had been with last winter’s first semester. Jester Lavorre,the girl with the almost purple eyes and the blue dyed hair.The girl who studied art, already had a new boyfriend and loved blueberry cupcakes. He had rarely seen her from a distance since their breakup before the Christmas ball. 

She was wearing one of her blooming summer dresses, and as she approached him with a shy smile her perfume rose up his nose.Her voice, too, aroused in him a longing for bygone days : "Hi Fjord, nice to see you. I hear you sell cupcakes now too ? " Even to his ears his voice sounded like it was stale as he replied : " The blueberry cupcakes are already sold but we still have dounats if you want . " She simled back at him : " That will do ! " She paid and he handed her the baggie . Before she left she suggested to him : " Get back to me sometime , I miss our talks a lot . " After she had left, he took a short break in the back room. 

The next morning he drove to the university with his clothes from the day before ,the last night still haunted through his mind and he could swear her scent was still on him.When he was on his way to the event, other participants met him and told him that the professor had probably gotten sick spontaneously and that he was now able to go home.He was about to make his way back to the bike when he saw a familiar person a few meters away, Mr Clay the new one for the Hospital Wing seemed to be walking around the grounds. Without thinking much he ran over to him : " Mr Clay ,from yesterday am I right ? " Mr Clay cocked his head slightly to one side at his words :Fjord ? I asume ? " " Yes you are right,nice to meet you againe." Fjord felt again the unknown calmness that had also been felt yesterday when they met. "May I ask what you are doing or may I help you again ? " Caduceu's smile showed again : " That would be very nice of you, I need someone to show me around the grounds.So I can find my way around here, but I’m afraid I won’t find my way back if I try it alone." "I could show you around if you like. It hasn't been that long since my last tour. Shall we ? " I accept the offer with pleasure. But if I could hold on to one youre arms, it reduces the risk of me stumbleling around and could you please discribe everything to me ,that woude be perfect . " " Of Course you can and will give my best try , lets begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for youre Kudos , Comments and reads !!! It means a lot to me !!!  
> Feel free to say hello or tell me what you think :)   
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------  
>  forget Me Not : is the flower of memory and friendship. Given as a gift between lovers, it signifies togetherness. However, it is also aptly brought as a parting gift.


	3. Fresien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fjord and Cads explore the campus and get to know each other.

After a brief consultation, Mr. Clay clung to Fjords' right arm and they walked across the meadow towards the sports facilities.Soltryce University had a soccer field covered with red ash, an artificially green baseball field, which was bordered by a running track and bordered by spectator stands adorned with the university banner, an open book with one eye in the middle.

At this time of day, the teams of the university mostly did not traine,only individual sports enthusiasts jocked on the running track, Beau was not one of them ,as fare as he took not when they walked by ,maybe she had theoretical lessons.When the teams played on the weekends it could get quite crowded here, Beau, a few of her friends and he had watched the last baseball game of the senior team last fall.

They left both behind and came after a while to the greenhouses of the biology students, behind these sun-flooded glass houses stretched a wide flower field, it was available to all nature-loving students, you leased a piece of it ,staked out and could then plant it as you wanted. When Fjord told Mr Clay this , his smile widened, during their previous toure he had listened silently to Fjord’s descriptions and now and then nodded silently with only a slight smile. He seemed very pleased with the possibility of gardening here in his spare time .

After they had made a small break at the edge of the field, they just wanted to go back on the road, Caduses almost stumbled over a small garden shovel, which had been left there by some idiot but before Caduses could hit the dirt with his face , Fjord catched him in his arms. 

Out of an unexpected reflex, he pressed Caduses closer to his chest. Clay was taller than him, but also thinner and more sinewy, pink hair crinkled his nose, he inhaled the smell of uncovered shower gel, green tea, fresh cut grass, his heart danced out of line, jumping in irregular leaps in his chest before he realized what he was doing ! Why in all the world, did he hugged a stranger,he only meet yesterday ?! What would Mr Clay think of him now ?!

He immediately broke away from him and gained space between himself and the other man.While he seemed briefly surprised by the intimacy but not annoyed, Fjord only now saw that Caduses smile was framed by small dimples. And was glad that he didn’t see his red face : " Sorry about that ,I didn´t mean to ... " " Its alright you saved me again , it almost fells like I am back at home , my brothes and sisters often forgett their tools when they helped on oure flower field ." "You had a field like this ? " " Well kind of, we sold Flowers and had a Shop one the cemetery,and we had an apartment above the shop." "Whait !? you lived on a cemetery ? Isn't that kind of creepy ? " " Its not like that we lived in a Krypta and no it was nice , we had a littel chapel behind the house.But peopel thought that we were weird living there. " " Surrounded by dead people." "Well the advantage was in any case that we had it nice and quiet, it was not as rushed as in the big city." " That´s true , but if you like to have a cup of tea sometime , you could visit Tealeaf's tea shop downtown , it belongs to Molly, a friend of mine and I worke there with another one my friends." "Oh, I love tea. I will defently pay you a visit." " I'm already looking forward to seeing you their..... oh my... is that rude ? ... I am sorry ... I didn´t mean to..." " Oh no , you dont have to apologise , it happens all the time and I am notboffended , I kow that I am blind , its a part of me and I am not mad at you for using the word "seeing" , It would hurt me more if you would treat me like I am made out of glass,ok ? " " ok,noted.Shall we ? " " Lead the way. "

So they continued their way towards the other department buildings and Fjord did his best to describe everything as detailed as he could.Fortunately , Jester did not apear to them when they left the art department and headed back toward the main building . Fjord also showed Caduses the entire main building and as they left the building, the mid-day sun shone on their faces and they were looking for a shady spot on a park bench under the trees that grew near the parking lot.Fjord still had to think of Caduse’s words earlier, he didn’t want to be treated differently, but was it okay to ask him about his disability ? Caduses noticed as he was fumbling around the bench: " What’s the matter ? " " Well, I have a few questions, but. . . . " His bank neighbor sighed: " Just ask me, it´s ok." " ah, ok...so..... were you like blind from the beginning.?...or was an accident ? or... " " No, I was born sighted, when I was about fourteen my vison got worse and worse, I wore glasses but it got worse every year, until two years ago I could still tell the difference between light and dark, but now I can't either." " And the stick you cary around is for orientation , right ? " " Well I would not call it a stick , it is called a cane but you are right about the function . "   
They talked a little before Fjord looked at his mobile phone, it was already half past two, if he wanted to eat or learn something before his shift in the shop he should start the way back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that for so long nothing came but I’m stuck with University stress and it’s exam time, so it could take some time until I post again +_+  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------  
> But stil feel free to say hello or tell me what you think :)  
> Fresien : When given to you could mean that they think that you are awesome :)


	4. Sunflowers

Fjord rubbed his tired eyes and looked over at the only clock in the shop, an ugly purple plastic thing with red dials and a red eye on it, Molly was always fashionably dressed as far as he could tell, but he was terrible when it came to decoration.It was seven o'clock in the evening, but it was still not dark outside, through the windows of the shop some last rays of sunlight were still shining, the sky had turned a bright blue and the passing clouds floated by like pink cotton candy.

How much he would have liked to have sat outside with a drink, enjoyed the warmth of the end of the day and relaxed a little, but it would not work out, their shift ended at 21:30 until then the sun would have disappeared long ago, after that he would go back home, cook something, take a shower, learn till 3 o’clock in the morning, only to stand up at 9 o’clock and go back to the university.

Beside him Beau leaned over the counter and yawed loudly, the shop was not very crowded, the exams would start in the next weeks and so only a few students met outside the library, many like Fjord also prefer learning at home, but three study gropes had taken refuge with them in the shop, with their books, cards and slips of paper they boasted above their learning materials and discussed quietly with each other so as not to disturb the others.

With the murmur of the students, the hum of the dishwasher in the kitchen, and his own lack of sleep, it was hard for him to keep his eyes open.He hadn't met Caduses or Jester in the last three weeks. To their surprise, Caleb showed up today. Now the German student was crouched half-hidden behind a mighty towering pile of books, his cup with Earl Grey peeked half-hidden from the books and other documents in front of him on the table.

He had company with him at the table, a small female student named Nott seemed to also work on some stuff. How she was able to work with the mess on a table was a riddle to him. As far as he understood when Caleb introduced her to them, was that she studied something with finances.She and Caleb had meet in the library when Nott had failed to get a book on a listening shelf and Caleb had helped her.

When the doorbell rang,Fjord raised his head only to see his boss who entered the shop with cheerful steps, a package under his arm.Curious as he was, he let his gaze wander over those present, biting him to discover Caleb.  
His expression changed, and he put on his typical Molly smile, something he always did when he thought he had discovered something or someone interesting.And so he headed straight to Caleb’s table.

Beau moved next to him, even she did not seem to miss what was going on.They shared some knowing looks as they watched how Molly with his package in one arm leaned very close to Caleb until there was not much space between them, and then he said something.They couldn’t understand what Molly was saying to Caleb, yet it was obvious how unpleased Caleb was, he tried to lean away from Molly and his face had taken on the color of a tomato, something that certainly didn’t come from drinking tea.

After a few more minutes, Molly broke away from the conversation and strutted over to him :” Well, how's it going ? “ He shifted the package to the counter, but Beau didn't answer his question : " What was that ?” "I don’t know what you mean dear." "Don't act all oblivious ! What did you say to him ?!" "Nothing ! I was just saying hello ! He seemed to be a new customer and since I am the boss here, I thought I should go over" " Since when do you care for the customers ?!" Sleepy, Fjord listened to the quarrel of his friends. When the Bell sounded again, and he looked at the door, his tiredness vanished and gave way to pleasant joy, for no one but Caduceus Clay had entered the shop.

With his Cane in one hand, Caduceus made his way to him at the counter. Molly and Beau had moved their discussion to the butt part of the shop. And so Caduceus and him were alone.After their last conversation on the bench,Fjord had worried that he annoyed Caduceus with his questions, that he overstepped a hidden boundary or that the other do not want to hang out with him anymore.They had only known each other for a short time, but Fjord enjoyed Caduceus presence and was sure that if the other felt the same way, they would become good friends.

"Welcome to Tealeaf´sTee shop! Can I take you're order , Mr. Clay ?" Caduceus smiled knowingly: “ Fjord ! Nice to hear you, then I ended up in the right shop. " "Yes, you certainly did ! Nice to meet you again , how is everything ?"  
" Everything is going well thanks for asking,most come to me for an aspirin or need a patch, no one was seriously hurt by now." "Good to hear, do you already know what you want to drink or do you want a little advice ? " "I guess you don’t have a braille card, right?" " No, I'm afraid not, I'll ask my boss if he can get something like that. " "That would be great but I also like to get advice from you this time , so what would you recommend me ?" "Oh! There are so many options ! So If you want a great overview about our drinks I could recommend you the mighty Tee plate,were you have thirty of our best-selling teas in small coupes on a big plate, but it costs fifty gold , if you feel a little adventures you can pick the surprise me option,you pay fife gold and I will try to pick a tee that you like, or you take the newest Tee , it is called Dead People Tee because it's made out of biological Herbs , or I could make you something basic like Earl Grey." "You know what? I think I'll have the Dead People tea" "Coming right up ! "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to say hello or tell me what you think :)  
> Sunflowers : They stand for pure cheerfulness, fun and human kindness. To give someone a sunflower says that you like them 0//0

**Author's Note:**

> This my first try for a longer Story 0_0 I hope you like it , Feel free to say hello or spare youre thoughts ;) ------------------------------------------------ Every Chapter has a Flower in the Titel, this is relatet to Caduceus ,his powers and his love for plants , starting of with white Roses :  
> White Roses symbolize innocence, purity or faithfulness. They stand for farewell and a new beginnings.


End file.
